Saying goodbye to the Dursleys
by Notit
Summary: This is a fanfic I wrote prior to Deathly Hallows-- to pass the time until its release. I thought I would share it now. Hope you like it. Harry's last summer at the Dursleys'


_Author's Notes: this is a fanfic I wrote prior to Deathly Hallows-- to pass the time until the real story was released. I thought I would share it now. Takes place after DD's funeral. Hope you like it._

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to Harry Potter and I hope JK doesn't mind me borrowing her world and characters. No characters were harmed in the writing of this story.

Saying Goodbye to the Dursleys

It was only a few days after Dumbledore's funeral and the reality of it was still sinking in. Harry knew he would not return to finish his seventh year of school.

As The Hogwarts Express pulled into platform 9 and ¾ the train seemed quieter than usual. Many on the train were not just leaving Hogwarts for the summer; most of the students on the train were leaving Hogwarts forever. Harry, Ron, and Hermione dragged their trunks out onto the platform. Goodbyes took longer than usual, because no one knew when or if they would be seeing eachother again.

"Goodbye Harry, Goodbye Ron. Take care of yourselves." Hermione gave both Harry and Ron a hug before turning and appariting with a tiny pop.

"I wish we could do that," complained Ron as they rolled their trunks through magical barrier which separated the wizarding platform from the rest of King's Cross station. Harry and Ron made there way through the station packed with Muggles to where Ron's parents were waiting for them.

The Weasley's had agreed to take Harry to the Dursleys' where Harry would fulfill his promise to Dumbledore by living there until his birthday in July. Mr. Weasley had arranged with The Order to pick Harry up at Midnight on his birthday, so that he could celebrate his birthday with the Weasleys and stay until after the wedding. Then Harry, Ron, and Hermione were going to leave to fulfill the momentous and seemingly impossible task that Professor Dumbledore has left them with, or more specifically left Harry with.

Ginny was already waiting with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Ron's dad had managed to get a car from the ministry of magic and Harry slid into the car next to Ginny. It seemed strange to be sitting so close to her after having just broken up with her, but the trip didn't last long. The ministry cars could weave through traffic much faster than an ordinary car, making the ride to Privet drive was much shorter than usual.

"See you in a few months," said Mr. Weasley when they arrived. He leaned over the front seat and shook Harry's hand.

"Bye Mr. Weasley," said Harry. Mrs. Weasley leaned over and gave Harry a hug. "Goodbye, bye Ron, Good-bye Ginny." As Harry opened the car door to leave, Ginny grabbed his arm and gave him a hug. "Bye."

He let the hug last for only a moment before pulling away and climbing out of the car, before he could do something stupid, like take it all back, kiss her, or worse yet, not leave at all. Harry walked to the front door with his trunk and rang the door bell. Uncle Vernon answered the door looking grumpier than usual. He was holding a crumpled letter in his hand that Harry recognized as the letter that he had sent Hedwig with that morning.

"So the old coot died, eh," said Uncle Vernon.

"Dumbledore is dead," said Harry.

"Well if you are going to stay here I expect you to make yourself useful, you hear, not like last year," said Uncle Vernon. "I don't want any funny business, or attacks by… you-know-whats."

Harry nodded in agreement and waved goodbye to the Weasley's as Uncle Vernon closed the behind him.

His last summer with the Dursleys passed slowly, but eventually months turned to days and days into hours.

It was late in the evening. In just a few more hours he would be 17. He was waiting in Privet Drive. The order of the Phoenix was coming to escort him safely away without Voldemort and his supporters knowing- if they could. But what would he do then? How could he fulfill the momentous and seemingly impossible task that Professor Dumbledore has left him with?(From cover art) Harry sat alone in his room with these thoughts.

He had spent most of the summer planning, practicing spells, and trying to figure out how he was going to accomplish it all, only occasionally getting interrupted by Uncle Vernon barking orders to go get the mail or take out the trash or some other little task along that line. The rest of his time was spent walking to Mrs. Figg's house and trying to get new information, but there wasn't much to be told besides a new disappearance or death and occasionally some news of The Order.

Suddenly Aunt Petunia rapped on the door and interrupted his thoughts. It was annoying familiar sound; more hesitant than the loud knock she would have used seven years ago to wake him while he slept in the small, dark cupboard under the stairs. It was as unwelcome now as it had been then.

"I'd like to speak to you," Aunt Petunia called through the door in a firm, set tone. "Before you leave."

"Come in." He would have liked to ignore her, but he had lived with the Dursleys long enough to know it wouldn't work and he only had a few hours left. He should be civil to them.

"Harry before you go I have something to tell you," said Aunt Petunia. "I have been keeping a lot of secrets from you for a long time."

Aunt Petunia held out a letter. "It is time you read the letter Dumbledore left you. He asked for me to give it to you when you turned 17, but that isn't everything. There are so many... about your mother and myself…."

Harry looked up from the letter, the letter giving the details of Voldemort's attack, his parents' deaths, and Dumbledore's instructions to aunt Petunia.

"But first you should know that Snape is innocent, I know because I love him!"

"I… I had no idea," Harry Stuttered.

(just kidding)

"Your mother and I… we were close once, as closely bond as two sisters could be. But as much as I loved Lily, her magic was a problem. I tried everything, but the magic separated us. It pulled her off to that freak school with that horrible boy, Severus Snape. I tried to protect her; I even tried to convince Dumbledore to let me go to the freak school with her. But it didn't work. She was taken away from the nice normal life she should have had to become just as strange and abnormal as the rest of them. And she was happy about it."

Harry froze with shock. His mother had known Snape before Hogwarts?

"Vernon and I tried to protect you from being just the same. I know I don't always show it, but I did love Lily. I didn't want her to be a freak. I didn't want you to turn out like her. I wish you wouldn't go back, you'll end up just like your mother."

"Dead?" Harry asked humorlessly, it wasn't so far from the truth. "I have to go back. I don't belong here."

"It's getting late," said Aunt Petunia a little shakily. "You had better finish packing. Be careful Harry."

Harry folded Dumbledore's letter and slipped it into his pant pocket. Hedwig swooped back in through the open window. Thoughtfully he walked across the room and stroked her head. It surprised him that his aunt did care about him, or at least didn't wish him dead. In what seemed like only a few minutes Aunt Petunia came up and knocked on Harry's door once more.

"They're here," she said. For the first time Aunt Petunia actually looked sorry to see him leave.

Harry put Hedwig into her cage and took her with the rest of his stuff downstairs to where The Order members were waiting.

"Alright Harry," called Tonks, seeing him on the stairs.

"Alright," Harry replied. "How about you?"

"Never better." Tonks held up her hand to show him a diamond glittering on her finger. Lupin put his arm around her.

"We got married last week," explained Lupin, "nothing big, just the two of us."

"That's great, congratulations!" Harry grinned.

"Thanks. Do you have your broom?" Tonks asked.

Harry walked across the room and pulled his broom from the cupboard under the stairs. The Dursleys' had been kind enough to leave it unlocked for him. He turned to the Dursleys' and Aunt Petunia gave him a light, bony hug. Uncle Vernon shook his hand and held out a nicely wrapped birthday present.

"You're really leaving then," said Vernon. "You won't be back, at all?"

"That's right, I'm really leaving," said Harry fighting to conceal a grin.

"All right then, very good, very good," Vernon half whispered the last to himself, "here is your birthday present, you can open it later and we will, of course, send you your Christmas card as usual." He cheerfully added, "I don't think there will be any need to write before than, but if we must we must."

Harry had the impression that Vernon was hoping to get him out of the house as quickly as possible and he had no objection with it. Dudley was sitting on the couch still in his pajamas eating a slice of the cake Aunt Petunia had made last night to celebrate.

Harry took a last glance around the house and knew that soon, possibly by the next morning, there would be no evidence that another boy had ever lived here. Dudley would get back his second bedroom and the Dursleys would go on pretending that Petunia never had a sister, that their living room had never been filled by strange people in cloaks, and most of all that there is no such thing as magic.

"Well don't keep everyone waiting," said Uncle Vernon.

Harry grinned.

"Good-bye Dudley. Good-bye Aunt Petunia. Good-bye Uncle Vernon."

Harry walked out onto the unlit street with Tonks, Mad-eye, Lupin, and the rest of the order, climbed on to his broom and kicked off into the cool night air. Out of the corner of his eye he saw moody click the putter-outer and the light flew back to the street lamps illuminating Privet Drive one last time.

The flight to the Burrow was a pleasant one and the time past quickly, even though Mad-eye moody kept having them double back to make sure that they were not being followed. They made good time and Harry got a few hours of sleep in Ron's room before getting woken up by Hermione who had apparited over. After what would soon be one of his favorite birthdays, Harry filled them in about everything that had happened and they began to discuss the possible Horcrux locations. Together, the three of them began to assemble a plan.


End file.
